Last year I got a call from a lawyer whose client attempted to apply to the State of Washingtons lottery to get a license to open an I502 retail business (pot shop) in Ellensburg, WA. The clients claim, agreed to by the state, was that they were inappropriately declined entrance into the lottery and, therefore, lost the opportunity for obtaining a retail license for a store in Ellensburg. The lawyer stated that the one license winner opened a store early and is marginally profitable and the second individual granted a retail license in Ellensburg has decided not to open a second store because his analysis suggested the costs will be greater than the benefits. More specifically, the cost to renovate a store to be leased has been estimated to equal $160,000 and the present value of the after-tax cash inflows from operating the store is only expected to equal $120,000. The lawyers concern is that the damages that his client suffered by State of Washington inappropriately denying his entrance in the lottery to open an I502 retail business in Ellensburg is zero because the costs of opening the store are greater than the benefits of opening the store. Explain to the lawyer why you think the client has suffered damages. If we assume the standard deviation of the returns to investing in an I502 retail business is 50%/year, the license provides the right to open an I502 retail business anytime over the next 10 years, and the cost to renovate a store will remain constant for the next 10 years, then what is the value of the second license?

Annual Treasury Bond Rates as of January 29, 2019 Maturity Rate

1 month 2.39%

2 month 2.41%

3 month 2.42%

6 month 2.51%

1 Year 2.60%

2 Year 2.56%

3 Year 2.54%

5 Year 2.55%

7 Year 2.61%

10 Year 2.72%

20 Year 2.90%

30 Year 3.04